An Evening of Adventure | Perth 12 September 2024

The Australia & New Zealand Chapter of the Explorers Club (ANZEC) is proud to announce the first-ever ANZEC Evening of Adventure in Perth, Western Australia.

This is a historic initiative of our Belgian Explorers Club member Louis-Philippe Loncke, and our new ANZEC WA Programme Coordinator Ed Punchard.

This intimate evening is open to all members and guests and will include stimulating presentations from Extreme Trekker Louis-Philippe Loncke and Piper Alpha survivor Ed Punchard.

Self-supported Across Australia by Louis-Philippe Loncke

LouPhi is the 2016 European Adventurer of the Year.

LouPhi first visited Australia 20 years ago (NZ in 2002) as a backpacker and toured Australia and New Zealand scuba diving and hiking all around both countries. He came back for a year in 2006 in Australia and did his first 3 expeditions, including an epic traverse of the Wilderness Area of Tasmania, unsupported for 49 days and climbing 19 mountains underway, including Federation Peak.

LouPhi got into international news in 2018 after his world's first-second crossing of Tasmania. That year, he traversed the entire state from Penguin to the South Coast, resupplied in winter, starting with a backpack of 62 kg. In the links, you can see the ABC television news on his YouTube channel. He has been called The Mad Belgian since then.  

In tonight’s talk, LouPhi will talk about his self-supported journey, a double crossing of the Simpson desert. But not all big dreams go to plan.

Should I burn, drown, or survive by Ed Punchard

In 1988 Ed Punchard escaped the blazing inferno of Piper Alpha.  Isolated far offshore in the middle of the North Sea, the initial blast knocked him over, dodged car-sized blazing orbs of fire, led others 60 feet down a slender rope, hid as a 1,000-foot fireball of burning gas went overhead, nearly drowned when towed through the ocean clinging to another rope and then went on to co-ordinate the rescue of many others, this for some seven hours, undertaking their triage and care before he was eventually safe.

Ed will describe his experience, what happened and why it did. He will talk of the choices in moments of extremes and how he made the right ones. He will also talk about what happens after intense trauma and the enduring effects. He will explain how a commitment to adventure got him through.

An Exclusive Event

The first ANZEC Evening of Adventure in Perth will be an exclusive invitation-only event (All ANZEC Members) for an evening that promises to be informative, entertaining and inspirational.

 When: Thursday 12 September from 6.00 pm. Presentations commence at 7 pm.

 To attend please contact Todd Tai at anzec@explorers.org or 0414 600 642.  Limited Numbers.

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Ed Punchard appointed as Explorers Club West Australia Programme Coordinator

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Belgian adventurer escapes his desert trek